<immixture>, a beautiful mixture of the East and the West,came back to Korea after captivating French audience

Transcending limitations of genre and technique, a delicate and natural movement across the past and present, a near-perfect essence of art of contemporary dance!

The Korea National Contemporary Dance Company presents <immixture> by new Artistic Director Ahn Sungsoo at Jayu Theater of Seoul Arts Center on March 24 as its first piece of 2017. Having started its production in 2014, <immixture> was successfully premiered at the Théâtre National de Chaillot in Paris, France, in 2016 as part of the program, "Focus Korea" for 2015-2016 Korea-France year. <immixture> not only drew enthusiastic applause from the French audience, but was selected for "PAMS Choice" and SIDance "Who's Next?" and was highly acclaimed at home and abroad. <immixture> was created through a 3-year-long gradual production. After the 20-minute showcase for SIDance in October 2014, it was selected by the Arts Council Korea for art creation support program, which enabled the show to further develop its choreography, costume and structure. Since then, it continued to evolve and the third showcase was staged in March 2016. And finally, <immixture> was premiered at the Théâtre National de Chaillot in Paris, France, in June 2016. <immixture> went through many stages of experiment and verification with the gradual showcases and meticulously incorporated the intended concepts of Director Ahn. Through <immixture>, Director Ahn intended to exhibit Korean music and the beauty of Korea on the stage for international audience. A new piece was born from the 'mix' of the music and dance from the East and the West. The beats of Korean traditional music tend to resonate far, and the rhythms are full of suggestion. On the other hand, Western music has short and clear beats with an emphasis on melody. Korean traditional dance shows the beauty of curves and inner breathing in movement, whereas Western dance tends to be extroverted, straightforward and expressive. Dance and music from two heterogeneous worlds were 'mixed' by director Ahn to become <immixture>

<immixture> creates a ‘visible music’ by combining music and movements. <immixture> has different music from the East and the West for each scene, and adds a combination of traditional and contemporary movements woven together. Dancers' movements and the music become gradually entwined with each other, and the audience eventually experiences dynamic immixture of senses: a visible music and audible dance.

Four out of five dancers majored in Korean traditional dance and the uniqueness of their Korean traditional movements brings unparalleled energy to <immixture>. Kim Jiyeon, who is in the opening and closing of the show gives life to Director Ahn's choreography with powerful yet gentle and delicate movements in an impeccable manner. In particular, 'Changsa' which brings the performance to a close is sung by Kim Jiyeon, and leaves a fascinating impression of Korean sound behind. Kim Minji attracted much attention with matchless physical condition and dance skills, and Kim Hyeon takes out her well-established stable energy. With an acknowledged prominent dancer, Lee Juhee, the four are the protagonists of <immixture>. Jang Gyeongmin, who is the only male dancer as well as the guest dancer, makes his presence known by showing off his unique wit and energy.

<immixture> can be seen as a simple 'mix' of Korean and non-Korean, and traditional and contemporary elements. Simple yet novel, the mix and the new sensation bring 'fun' to the audience. <immixture> anchors in the profound world of art, but at the same time it is not convoluted and difficult to appreciate, despite the common prejudice that contemporary dance tends to be so. The audience will learn to enjoy every moment where the 'mix' of music and movement creates a scene. That is another reason why you should not miss <immixture>, the first performance of Korea National Contemporary Dance Company in 2017.